. . .some at the point of our own weapons; many others occurring unabated, Iraqi against Iraqi, behind them.
I think it's a specious argument that our 'boots on the ground' have the ability to protect civilians. It's been disproved in Iraq, and in Afghanistan, as well. Look at the size of the force Bush sent in, and then look at the numbers of civilians killed throughout that occupation. This is pure amnesia to suggest that U.S. 'boots' are able to protect civilians. They do okay protecting themselves and their facilities, but even that effort is fraught with real and present danger - and folly, as well.
Some of us out here haven't forgotten the counterproductive effect in Iraq that our military presence, as well as direct action, had in, as the 2006 intelligence estimate stated we were fueling more resistant violence than our troops were able to put down.
It should be no surprise at all to see the report last week from President Obama's own intelligence agencies that our military presence and activity in Iraq - however altruistic the mission - is having the exact same effect of drawing more individuals looking to do battle with our nation, from around the globe, to rally to this emerging insurgent group's deadly cause.
Greg Miller @gregpmiller 6m
US intel sees defections from AQ affiliates as fighters flock to ISIS. Q whether strikes will "increase the spigot" …
Fighters abandoning al-Qaeda affiliates to join Islamic State, U.S. officials say
U.S. spy agencies have begun to see groups of fighters abandoning al-Qaeda affiliates in Yemen and Africa to join the rival Islamist organization that has seized territory in Iraq and Syria and been targeted in American airstrikes, U.S. officials said.
The movements are seen by U.S. counterterrorism analysts as a worrisome indication of the expanding appeal of a group known as the Islamic State that has overwhelmed military forces in the region and may now see itself in direct conflict with the United States.
. . . The launching of U.S. airstrikes has raised new questions, including whether the bombings will hurt the Islamic State’s ability to draw recruits or elevate its status among jihadists. “Does that increase the spigot or close it?” said a senior U.S. counterterrorism official, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity and noted that U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere have crippled al-Qaeda but also served as rallying cries against the United States.
Longer-term, U.S. officials expressed concern that the Islamic State, which so far has been focused predominantly on its goal of reestablishing an Islamic caliphate, may now place greater emphasis on carrying out attacks against the United States and its allies.
read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fighters-abandoning-al-qaeda-affiliates-to-join-islamic-state-us-officials-say/2014/08/09/c5321d10-1f08-11e4-ae54-0cfe1f974f8a_story.html?tid=HP_lede
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